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Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad

Strawberry pretzel jello salad is a layered pretzel dessert with a golden salty-sweet crust, a fluffy cream cheese middle, and a shimmering strawberry Jell-O top. This easy potluck dessert bakes the pretzel layer, chills, then slices into clean rectangles with three sharply defined layers.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 290
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the pretzel crust
  • 2 cup pretzel twists Coarsely crushed
  • 0.75 cup unsalted butter Melted
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
For the cream cheese layer
  • 8 oz cream cheese Softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 8 oz whipped topping (Cool Whip) Thawed
For the Jell-O layer
  • 6 oz strawberry Jell-O
  • 2 cup boiling water
  • 2 cup cold water or ice
  • 2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries Sliced

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 oven

Method
 

Bake the pretzel crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then mix coarsely crushed pretzel twists with melted butter and granulated sugar until evenly combined.
  2. Press the mixture firmly into a 9x13 baking dish and bake for 8–10 minutes until set, then cool completely.
Make and spread the cream cheese layer
  1. Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth, then fold in thawed whipped topping and spread evenly over the completely cooled pretzel crust.
  2. Seal the cream cheese layer all the way to the edges so the strawberry Jell-O doesn’t seep through.
  3. Refrigerate the cream cheese layer for 30 minutes while you prepare the Jell-O.
Prepare and pour the strawberry Jell-O
  1. Dissolve strawberry Jell-O in 2 cups boiling water, then stir in 2 cups cold water or ice.
  2. Let the Jell-O mixture cool to room temperature, but do not let it set.
  3. Stir sliced strawberries into the cooled Jell-O, then gently pour it over the cream cheese layer.
Chill, slice, and serve
  1. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until the Jell-O is completely set.
  2. Slice into rectangles and serve cold.

Notes

For clean rectangles, chill the assembled salad until fully set before slicing, and keep the Jell-O at room temperature while pouring so it doesn’t create streaks. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freezing is not recommended for best texture. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat whipped topping (texture may be slightly less fluffy).